‘WB important partner in social sector development’

Pakistan is safer, more peaceful and economically stronger than before: CM

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday that the World Bank had been an important partner of the Punjab government in social sector development.

At a meeting with a World Bank delegation led by Country Director Patchamuthu Illangovan, the chief minister said the provincial government had been successfully running several public welfare programmes with World Bank’s cooperation.

The meeting reviewed progress on the programmes that the Punjab government is implementing in education, health and other sectors with World Bank’s help.

Presiding over the meeting, Sharif praised World Bank’s role in improvement of social sectors in the Punjab. He said the provincial government had taken measures for improvement of education, health, clean water supply and skill development. He said that reforms were being introduced in education and health sectors. He said that scholarship amount for girl students from class six to 10 had been increased to Rs 1,000 in 16 districts of the province. He said that southern districts had been given priority in this programme.

Referring to the nutrition programme, the chief minister said that it was of vital importance keeping in view the malnutrition among children. He directed the officials to expand the scope of the programme. He said the government was implementing a coordinated skill development programme. Under this programme, he said, thousands of young people would be imparted vocational training by 2018. He said the government would welcome World Bank’s assistance for this programme.

Illangovan praised various projects being implemented by the government and establishment of the Punjab Social Protection Authority.

Separately, the chief minister said that those trying to halt national progress for personal gains were enemies of the country.

Talking to elected party representatives, he said the sit-in politics had caused Pakistan a huge loss in 2014. He said that these elements were out again to halt development. He said that protesters had nothing to do with people’s problems. He said the politician leading the protest movement was surrounded by land grabbers and those who got billions of rupees loans written off. He said that people had rejected those doing politics of anarchy. He said that those doing politics of agitation should shun this attitude for the sake of national progress. He said that people would hold those accountable who were creating hurdles in the way of national development.

He said the law and order situation had improved considerably. He said that today’s Pakistan was safer, more peaceful and economically stronger than before. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had put the country on the road to progress and strengthened it economically over the last three years. He said the country needed unity and harmony instead of negative politics at this time.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2016.